Coaster for children



F. w. DARLING COASTER CHILDREN Feb. 22, 1927.

5 Sheets-Sheet l I Filed Jan. 8, 1926 ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1927. 1,618,272

F. w. DARLING 4 COASTER FOR CHILDREN Filed Jan. 8, 1926 a Sheets-Sheet, 2

BY W

.1 -4. ATTORNEY Feb. 1927.

F. w. DARLING COASTBR FOR CHILDREN Filed Jan. 8, 1926 3 s ts-sheet 5 ATTORNEY Involving my invention gives in lesser Patented Feb. 22, 1927.

units!) STATES 1,618,272 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. DARLING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO THE L. A. THOMPSON SCENIC RAILWAY COMPANY,OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COASTER FOR CHILDREN.

Application filed January 8, 1926. Serial No. 79,983.

My invention consists in a roller coaster loop planned and constructed in such manner that very small children may have a close simulation of sled coasting over an lrregular curved slope with the maximum of exciting sensations continued with such perfect safety thatthey need not be accompanied by adults, but can be left to'fre'ely make use of the coaster unattended.

The invention involves principles of dimensioning and correlating the elevations,

gradients, curvatures and other characteristics of the loop to effect this purpose of providing maximum safety with elimination of danger of injury to small children for whom the coaster is especially constructed. Practically such a coaster loop should be of considerable length, not only that a substantial coast can be had, but also in order that there shall be a variety of sensations felt by the child.

in one sense, the novel roller coaster loop d gree sensations similar to the standard gravity rides constructed for adult use, but the problem of devising a childs coasterpresents difficulties not experienced in the de sign and construction of such adult gravity rides, and necessitates a special novel construction and correlation to effect the purpose intended. I

For example, my novel coaster loop is of a character to be used solely by very small children,even as young as four years of age, and accordingly in addition to the requisite of absolute safety, the coaster sensations must be of a comparatively mild character with correspondingly low velocities and accelerations and deceleration rates. For example, where in adult'gravity rides speeds of from 40 to miles or greater are permissible, it is important in a childrens coaster of the character herein set forth that the coaster cars shall have maximum speeds far below such permissible speeds for adult gravity railways, with accompanying substantially smaller ranges in speed variations, but though the speed must be greatly reduced it is desirable to give the rider the illusion of great speed. {In the actual installation upon which this application based, the maximum speed at any point is not greater than 15-16 miles per hour, the average speed being, of course, substantially lower than this, and the acceleration or deceleration and centrifugal force effects throughout the coaster and measured in percentages of weight are milder than similar pern nssible effects in adult gravity rides, but the illusion of high speed is obtaine'd'by utilizing cars of very small size and light weight, by incorporating in the coaster a special construction of successive hills and valleys to give rapidly succeeding and alternating accelerations and decelerations, and by a special construction of coaster that there are no upright projections in line with the eyes of the children passengers. Due to these comparativelylow velocities and acceleration rates and on account of the special degree of safety demanded, a special coaster construction is essential to effect the required continuous non-stalling coasts about the loop under'all service conditions, with the repeated accelerations and decelerations closely following each other so as to obtain a maximum number of such sensa tions on a given length of coaster, and the problem is further complicatedby the necessity for inexpensive installations makinguse'of very light cars and permitting profitable nickel rides.

To the above ends, I have devised a coaster loop consistmg of a succession of gradual inclines alternating-with simulated structural hills and I have so correlated the average gradients, radii of curvature of the hills and valleys measured vertically, and the slopes or track inclinations on leaving the structural hill crests, with a given specially constructed light weight conveyance which is utilized, so as to givecoasting sensations to the exact degree andquantity desired, and to effect the continuous non-stalling rides "notwithstanding the lightness in weight of the cars and low speeds thereof. For example, the maximum gradient and drop at any point and the average gradient, 'or the average speed, ordinarily should be chosen so that the loss of weight or acceleration effect due to linear acceleration at such point must not exceed 50% of the total weight of the conveyan'ce and the children passengers, and preferably substantially less, this acceleration effect being measured by (W cos 6-;) cos 0, where is total weight'of conveyance and'its passenger load,

f is total friction in'gsand'wind,

the formula track so 6 is angle between tangent to coaster way at point in question and vertical through the same point.

In the particular installation upon which this ap; lication based, 1 utilize a tour traclionwvheel ball bearing conveyance weighing not more than 150 pounds when loaded and approximately tour feet in length, and it have found that in order to secure the suite non-stalling continuous coasting sent-action rides desired the average gradient throughout the greater portion of the loop should not be substantially less than 1 to 30 a nd may be as great as l to A together with av erage maximum grzidients ot' the steepest in clines which are not substantially greater than 1 to l and with maximum actual drop at any one dip of from one-third to one-halt of the total not drop from the highest po nt to the lower point of the coaster these figures being based on an actual installation of a loop whose cll'ective gravity coaster ride is approximately 300 feet long and includes sevenstructural hills and valleys. The structural hills or crests must also be so correlated with the gradients as to avoid a combined acceleration and centrifugal force effect at any point which would be sulliciently violent or pronounced to frighten or tax the nerve strength of children of the tender age for whom this coaster is adapted, and this consideration requires that the radius oi? the curvature measured vertically of any struc tural valley must not be less than a predetermined inininnnn, dependingamong other things upon the g 'adient and the speed down the dip. The centrifugal force effect at any point and passol' track at point requires a minimum oi attention in operation and my invention is directed to an actual installation which, in practice, has met all of the requirements ol 2: coaster adapted for children of hindergnirten age and which,

on account at the novel features oi? construction and operation embodied therein. and on account of the comparatively low installzr tion and operation cost may be profitably operated on a nickel ride basis.

. For a better uiulerstanding otlny invention, reference may be had to the aeco1npanying drawings forming a part of this application wherein-- Fig: l and 2 are diagrammatic views illust ating the general plan of my new coaster,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the track showing a kiddies car mounted thereon,

Fig. it is a side elevation and line of the ear and track,

F 5 is a plan view thereof, and

F igs. (i and 7 are diagrammatic views illustrating certain general principles upon which my coaster is based.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate sin'iilar parts throughout, Fig. 1 indicates generally the vertical elevations and drops of the track, the curve A indicating the gravity coaster ride upon which the cars l) are adapted to travel of their own weight and momentum after haw ing once been conveyed to the highest point by the cijmvevor (1, this conveyor connect ing the ends 1 and 5 of the effective gravity coaster ride so as to carry the cars from the lowest point 1 to the highest point 5 and to impart the initial speed or velocity to the ears B before the beginning oi. the first descent or drop I) of the track.

In the particular embodiment shown the coaster is indicated as having beginning; with the first drop or dip D and including the starting platform J, a total of seven drops or dips, and, of eour.-1e,an equal number of structural hills corresponding thereto. For convenience I have successively designated the dips as I), l F, G, H, I and J. Also, accordingto this embodiment, the loop is in the term of a continuous structure with elongated sides I i, K, and connecting end structures L and M, the part M being a gradual curve and lea ing to the lowest point 1 ot the track while the end pa rt L is substantially straight but has curved parts merging into the adjacent ends of the side branches K, K oi the track.

general outlllt) The track structure A includes a bedding or stuaporling framework of vertical posts 5t) and girders 5i, upon which are mounted the traction rails 52. The latter are in the :lorm o'lt' tin'ihers which overhang the side rails; 53, thereby extending intotl chute or well. formed between the tracks. The traction rails 52 may be o'l. any convenient material to use such as wooch anih ii dcsireth may he provided with metallic traction surfaces 52. The car ll includes .i'our small traction wheels jonrnalcd uiulerneath the sides thereof with a seat oil? the car substantiallv on a level with or slightl above the axis of the wheels. The ear is provided with a down 'ardlv extending passenger emnpartment 57 which extends down to points approximating the bottom of the lilll times.

chute between the-rails, and is provided with side guide wheels 58-, these latter being adapted to "engagethe side rails 58"on going around curves andto fr-ictionlessly steer the car along the traction rails 52, 52. The tract-ion rails 52 overhang. these side guide Wheels 58 and prevent the accidental dis placement of the car from the traction rails. The car is of very ligl'it weight and in the particular installation upon which this application is basedthe weight of the car with its children load therein is not Substantially greater than 150 pounds. By reason, however, of the particular construction of the car with the passenger compartment extending down into the chute or well between the traction rails the stability of the car is assured at all times, even when going around curves, and ordinarily "in normal operation the car adheres to the traction rails and the side wheels 58 or their brackets do not engage the overhanging edges thereof.

I have found that with a range of speeds of from four or live to fifteen or sixteen miles per hour a coaster may be constructed to give a variety of hill'valley coasting sen-- sations which approach and simulate those experienced on natural hills, and moreover with entire freedom from the dangers incident to coasting-int11' open spaces. Moreovcr,I e'ltect-a particular correlation ofgr'ad ients dips and radii of 'cu rvature measured vertically wh-i ch insure the. continuous uninterrh-p'ted ru'nningof the car's tln'ougho'ut the coaster way, no'twit-hstandi-i'ig the low speeds and velocities thereof, while the coasting sensations are maintained within prescribed and predetermined limits and harmless at all The '-p articular construction of coaster way and structural hill and valley for c f' fecting these purposes is indicated diagrammaueany" in Figs. 6 and- 7: In Fig; 6 the curve corresponds to the effective gravity ride portion or the coaster; namely, that por tion between the point wherethe car leaves the elevator C and that point where they are engaged by the elevator, and in this-diagram the vertical distances correspond to the actnal drop while the horizontal distances cor-- respond 'to the length of the coaster way For convenience in exposition, the vertical drops are on a larger scale than the horizontal distances or lengths and in the particular embodiment illustrated the-relative scale is 9 to 1. The line N, indicates the average gradient for tli e effective part of the gravity ride, this gradient corresponding generally to a drop of 1 in 80, while the line N, P in-c dicates the gradientfrom the highest point otthe coaster to the lowest point, and this corresponds generally to a drop oil in 22. The distance between the highest point N of the coaster and the lowest point P thereof is approximately three-fourths of the effective gravity ride. That portion of the gravity ride having the more pronounced coastingsensations is that partof the coaster Way designated'Kf, a series oi threecl'osely SLICCGSSIVQ d-i'ps being. included in this part crests of the structural hills, the latter at the beginning falling slightly below the line N, 0 but towards the end rising slightly above this gradient. In the particular enrbod'imen-t illustrated, the steepest grade of a dip occurs between the points S and T 'and' the average gradient between these two points is approximately 1 in 4; The con struc tion isfsuch thatthe maXi-mumspeed of the ,cars at the bottoms of thedipsrange from 10 to miles per hour, depending upon the speed at the cres't,'the drop and the gradient, with a given car, while the speeds the crests vary from four miles at N, the highest point of the coaster, to eightlm'iles per hour, depending a e-n the particular cor relation of gradients, drops, etc. immediately preceding the crest. The coasting sensatio'nsdo not depend so much upon the actual velocity at anypointas upon the deceleration, acceleration and centrifugal eff'e'cts, and both the linear acceleration or deceleration and the centrifugal force'eflec'ts must be taken into account in the construction of the coaster. Since the'centrifugal force and the linear acceleration effects are added together on the dips, the latter particularly mu st be constructed with such gradients, actual drops and curvatures that the combined sensations due to these two difiere'n-t forces may be kept within the permissible prescribed limits. I have indicated in F 'Zon an approximately correct and enlar ed-"scale that portion of the coaster inchic ing the dip The centrifugal force eti'ect at any point, as indicated above, is givenjby the formula: i

a V a gr while the linear acceleration or deceleration eiiect is measured by the formula:

(IV 'cos 6 'f) cos 0 I havefound that with an accelerating speed down the dip up to a mairimu'm of fifteen-miles per' hour at the bottom of the dip the radius of curvature 1* should not be less than approximately twenty feet to insure the moderate and harmless sensation for the small children concerned. 1 In the particular embodiment illustrated Where the speed of the cars at the crest S is approximately eight miles per hour and with a total drop of the succeeding dip H, slightly less than live feet over a l ngit d a distance of eighteen feet, the radius of curvature may be safely as low as feet, and the coaster between the points S and V is constructed on these principles. Similarly the radius of curvature of the dip between the points R and S and other dips where the velocity and acceleration a iiproach these limits should not he substantlally less than twenty feet, and in the particular installa tion upon which this application is based, the radii of curvature of the other dips measured vertically are arranged above 20 feet (the radius for the dip H), the greatest combined acceleration, deceleration and centrit'ugal etl'ects of the present embodiment being experienced in dip ll.

lVith this construction at coaster wherein the gradients, actual drops and radii. of curvature measured vertically are taken int account and correlated along the general lines and principles indicated. an artificial coaster way is provided wherein children ot tender age may safely be left alone to travel as passengers in the coaster car with assurance that they will obtain continuous coast er sensations with entire safety and without undue violence. The cars once they are launched from the conveyor or elevator C proceed by gravity and the initialnioinentum imparted thereto to traverse the coaster way, descending the grades and ascending the structural hills with certainty and with "ariations in speed and course indicated to give the coaster sensations desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Pat cut is:

1. A gravity coaster loop structure for small children whose eilecliive gravity ride has an average gradient from one end to the other of not less than 1 in and not greater than 1 in :20 and including a succession of structural hills and valleys of varying lengths, gradients and vertical curvatures, the structure of any portion of said loop and an immediately succeeding structural valley being such that the combined acceleration and centrifugal force ett'ects upon a car at any point within said immediately succeeding valley shall not be greater than that determined by a maximum velocity down said valley of sixteen miles per hour, with a radius of curvature of twenty feet of the valley.

2. A gravity coaster loop structure for small children whose et'tective gravity ride portion has an average gradient of not less than 1 in 34) and not greater than 1 infill and including a succession of structural hills and valleys oi varying lengths, gradients live :teet down said valley with an average gradient of approximately "1 in l and a radius oi curvature measured vertically of said valley of approximately twenty feet.

ii. A gravity coaster loop as set forth in claim 1, wherein each succeeding structural hill is approximately at anelevation corresponding to the average. gradient linc tor the entire otlective portion of the loop.

4;. A gravity coaster loop of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein the tangents to the crests of the structural hills approximate an average gradient line of 1 in 30.

A gravity coaster loop structure whose etlective g 'avity ride portion has anaver age gradient of approximately 1 in 30, and including a succession of descents and ascents ot varying lengths and gradients, the maximum average descending gradient for any descent being not substantially greater than 1 in 4. with an actual drop of not sub: stant-ially greater than live i'eet whereby such sensations of coasting with a sled down an irregular hill are created under conditions to combine exciting sensations for children with complete safety.

(5. A closed gravity coaster loop with elongated sides including a succession of structural hills and valleys of varying lengths, gradients and curvatures in which the average gradient throughout the ell'ective gravity ride portion including the bends is ap proxin'iately one in thirty, with gradients progressively increasing for smaller portions of the loop to a maximum of one in four for the steepest hill and with a radius of curvature of any hill measured vertically not less than 20 feet.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK W. DARLING. 

